Teen Allegedly Tries to Hire Clown to Kill Teacher

In today's clown-related news, a 13-year-old allegedly attempted to solicit a clown to murder one of her teachers, Twitter is fighting against the creepy craze with a new hashtag, and thousands of Penn State students went clown-hunting last night.

A Virginia middle school student reached out to a clown-related social media account, soliciting the "creepy clown" to murder one of her teachers, reports WAVY. According to the report, local police received a call Sunday night about the threat, and immediately contacted the teacher. The 13-year-old was arrested for threatening to kill by electronic message. She is currently in police custody and could face expulsion from Davis Middle School.

“The profile that she contacted actually was using a clown as a profile picture and so using a clown related alias,” Officer Ashley Jenrette said. It's unclear whether or not that person is responsible for alerting authorities, but Davis Middle School was on high-alert today, according to Time.

This is only the latest in a series of clown-related threats gaining traction on social media. Clowns have been spotted in states including Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, although at this point it's safe to say it's a national issue. Now, Twitter is doing its part to fight back against the online trolls, with the trending hashtag, "#IfISeeAClown:

Meanwhile, offline, hundreds of students at Penn State University went clown-hunting last night, after three clowns were allegedly spotted near the school. Think witch-hunting, but with shirtless frat bros spewing anti-clown rhetoric. Armed with lacrosse sticks, baseball bats, tennis racquets, and hockey sticks, the students rallied to take back their campus, according to the New York Post. Watch the madness here:

Although school officials clarified that there were no credible threats against the campus's safety, it's unlikely the Penn State Clown (or any clown, for that matter) will show his floppy shoes again.